Trace the credit and reversal of a balance top-up

Confirm that the movement was incoming funding

Stripe distinguishes a top-up, which adds funds from a bank to the Stripe balance, from a payout, which sends funds out to a bank. A later topup_reversal reverses an initially successful top-up credit. Start by reading the transaction type instead of diagnosing the event from the word bank or the sign of one entry.

Stripe's balance-transaction documentation separates type, which describes the movement, from source, which identifies the originating object. Use that source reference to trace the reversal back to the top-up. Keep the balance-transaction identifiers and the top-up identifier in separate fields. If the available record does not establish the connection, mark the pair unconfirmed; similar amounts and nearby dates do not establish a match.

Keep the provider timeline and bank timeline visible

Record when the top-up was initiated, when the provider recorded the credit and when the reversal appeared, using only dates your records actually show. Preserve each record's time zone where one is supplied. A bank posting date and a provider entry date describe different records; replacing one with the other hides the sequence you are trying to establish.

On the bank side, locate the debit or other movement associated with the original funding and any later return or correction the bank actually records. Use references and amounts to support the association. An absent bank entry is a missing match, not evidence that the funds never moved or that the bank caused the reversal. Retain the statement privately and put only a non-sensitive reference and finding in the worksheet.

Separate a bank's stated reason from a provider's stated reason. Where neither gives a reason, record that it is unstated. The type topup_reversal alone cannot tell you a return code, why collection changed or whether another attempt is permitted.

Measure the balance effect without counting the funding twice

For the matched pair, preserve both signed balance movements. The original credit and its reversal belong in the history even when their net effect cancels out. Do not delete the original credit to make a report look current, and do not classify the reversal as a second outgoing payout merely because it reduces the balance.

Read the current available-funds figure from the provider for that account and currency, with an observation time. Compare it with the earlier balance record if you have one, then account for other movements between the two observations. The reversal's amount need not explain the entire change in a balance that also contains unrelated activity. Keep currencies separate and leave an unexplained difference open.

This establishes which previously recorded funding has been reversed and what the provider currently reports as available. It does not establish that funds are now in the bank, that another top-up will succeed or that a supplier commitment can still be met. Revisit any operating decision that relied on the earlier credit using the current recorded balance.

Ask about the missing link before repeating funding

Route the unresolved fact to the record owner: the provider for the reversal-to-top-up link and its account effect, or the bank for the posting and reason on its own record. Supply the two transaction references, amounts, currencies and dated observations. Ask specifically which entry remains unmatched and what documented instruction applies to any next funding action.

Do not turn the existence of a reversal into a retry instruction. If no reason or next action is documented, keep those questions open while updating the business's funds position. For a Prism processing consultation, summarize the balance problem and the unresolved provider question; scope and any assistance must be agreed before work begins. The provider and bank control their records and funding actions.

Top-up reversal timeline

Use one account, one currency and one linked top-up/reversal pair. Preserve separate provider and bank dates. Complete the current balance row from the actual account record, not by assuming the original credit remains available. Unknown cause or retry permission stays unknown.

Worksheet entries are not submitted by Prism’s worksheet and are not saved by the site. Use record types, availability, anonymized observations, or match/mismatch results. Do not enter government identifiers, customer names or addresses, customer messages, receipt-access links, card or bank details, passwords, or keys. Send sensitive documents only through the provider’s verified secure channel.

These are temporary notes. Leaving or reloading this page may clear them. Worksheet entries are not sent automatically. If you copy notes into the consultation message and submit the form, Prism receives them as part of your request.